Pneumatic thread holder for weft replenishing looms



July 9, 1940. I Q v PAYNE 2,207,105

PNEUMATIC THREAD HOLDER FOR WEF'I' REPLENISHING LOOMS Filed July 31,1939 INVEN-I'OR l OscAR V PAYNE ATTORNEY Patented July 9, 1940 UNITEDSTATES PNEUMATIC THREAD HOLDER FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOO-MS Oscar V.Payne, Leicester, Mass, assignor to Grompton & Knowles Loom Works,Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application July 31,1939, Serial No. 287,443

11 Glaims.

In my prior Patent No. 1,703,898 I have shown a pneumatic thread holdercomprising a tube into which is inserted an air injector so located asto draw the weft ends into the tube by a subatmospheric pressure andthen subject the threads to a super-atmospheric pressure beyond theinjector. I have found it desirable to form the tube in such a way thatthe injector will direct a blast of air positively across the group ofthreads in the holder for the purpose of being able to separate thethread of the freshly transferred bobbin from the threads of the otherreserve bobbins and it is accordingly an important object of my presentinvention to provide a thread holder the interior of which is soconstructed as to require the threads to extend across the travellingcolumn of air.

In order that the thread ends as they are cut at the time of areplenishing operation shall not fly around loosely with danger of beingdrawn into the warp shed it is desirable to provide some form of holderor collector to receive the cut threads. Since the air is under asuperatmospheric pressure it is necessary to provide for its escape fromthe collector and it is a further object of my present invention toprovide a thread collector having a foraminous surface through which theair under pressure may escape, thereby preventing the building-up of aback pressure which would interfere with the proper control of thethread ends. In this connection it is desirable that the collector be soconstructed that it can be cleaned and it is a further object of myinvention to provide the collector with a removable part which can betem porarily detached from normal position to permit the accumulatedthread ends to be taken out of the collector.

It is a further object of my invention to construct the collector sothat the thread ends from the reserve bobbins can be blown against andbecome entangled with the mass of threads which accumulate in thecollector.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, my invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein a convenient embodiment of myinvention is set forth,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a weft replenishing mechanism equippedwith my present invention, the latter being shown in vertical section,

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan in the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an end elevation looking in the direction of arrow 3, Fig. 1,the injector tube being in section, and I Fig. 4 is a detailedhorizontal section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown a loom frame l9 having a lay llalong which travels a shuttles. Supported by the loom frame in anyapproved manner isa magazine M having a series of reserve bobbins B fromwhich extend weft ends W. The magazine may 'if desired rock about thehorizontal axis l2 to present the bobbins in the magazine in transferposition by mechanism not shown herein but set forth in prior Patent No.2,128,974. A transferrer arm [3 may be provided to move a reserve bobbinfrom the magazine into the shuttle after which the latter will be pickedto the opposite side of the loom by a picker stick l4.

The matter thus far described of itself forms no part of my presentinvention and may be constructed as set forth in the last named patent.I have shown a rocking magazine for purposes of illustrating myinvention but I do not wish to be limited to a weft replenishingmechanism employing this type of magazine. sufficient to state that 'atthe time of a weft replenishing operation the transferrer arm willdescend and move a bobbin in low position in the magazine downwardly andinto the shuttle, the

It is thought latter being constructed to hold the fresh bobbin,

and it will also be apparent that the thread end W of the transferredbobbin will descend with the latter and that all of the other bobbins atleast in the stack from which transfer has been made will also descendto produce a slackness in the weft ends which should be tightened toprevent entanglement. v

In carrying my present invention into effect I provide a thread holder Hcomprising a tube 20 having a preferably upwardly opening intake mouth2| the orifice of which may be defined by a flared round edge 22 of thetube. The latter extends downwardly as indicated in Fig. 1 and is thenbent as at 23 toward the magazine and extends horizontally as at 24 to avertical semicircular bend 25 leading to another bend 26' terminating ina vertical part 21. From an inspection of Fig. 1 it will be seen thatthe interior of the tube or pipe forming an important part of the holderis provided with reverse bends the advantages of which will be pointedout hereinafter.

Secured to the lower end 21 of the tube is a thread collector 30 havingan enlarged lower body 3] in the form of a hollow bell around whichextends a strap 32 held tightly to the collector by a bolt 33. The strapis vertically adjustable on an upright support 34 by means of a setscrew 35, and the support 34 is shown herein as held.

by a base 36 held to the floor which supports the loom. I do not wish tobe limited to this particular construction for supporting. the threadholder.

The lower end of the bell is provided witha pin on which is pivotallymounted a bottom plate 4! the right end of which as viewed in Fig. 1 maybe provided with a catch 42 to engage a snap 43 on the bell 3!. Thecatch and snap cooperate normally to hold the bottom plate i! in thenormal position shown in Fig. 1. This plate is constructed so that airfrom above can pass downwardly therethrough and as shown herein Iprovide the plate with a series of perforations 415, although I do notwish to be limited to this particular type of plate nor the method shownherein for the method of making it permeable to air. It is sufficient ifthe plate is held normally in position on the bottom of the bell and isso constructed that air can pass through it.

In order to create a column of air which will move through the threadholder I provide an injector tube 58 having a reduced nozzle 5! andsupply the injector with compressed air at superatmospheric pressuresderived from any desired source. I do not deem it necessary toillustrate the source of compressed air and wish further to state thatthe air issuing from the nozzle 5! may be under either constant orintermittent pressure, but it is desirable to have the air pressure onduring a picking operation subsequent to transfer. As shown in Fig. 1the nozzle extends in a direction so, that the air issuing from itextends along the horizontal part 24 of the pipe or tube 20.

In operation, the injector will be connected to a source of compressedair and during normal loom operation will direct a blast of airhorizontally into part 24 of tube 20 and draw a column of air downthrough the orifice 2 i. When the bobbins are placed in the magazinetheir weft ends will be laid across the intake mouth of the tube 2!) andwill be drawn into the latter by the sub-atmospheric pressure created atthe month by the injector. The thread ends will then wrap around a partof curve 23 and extend across the straight part 24 to have contact withthe right side of the semi-circular bend 25 along a curved linedesignated at 55 in Fig. 1. The weft ends then extend across the tubeagain to have contact with the bend 26 along a line 56 in Fig. 1. afterwhich the ends project down into the bell 3!. The perforations 45 permitthe air under pressure in the bell to escape downwardly through theplate 4! without building up any appreciable back pressure in the tube20.

Located in the bell is preferably a mass of threads T which may beinserted at the beginning of loom operation or may collect as the resultof successive transferring operations of the loom. This mass of threadswill be somewhat loosely held together by entanglement of its individualthreads, and also is entangled with the weft ends W which are blownagainst the mass. There is thus provided an anchorage for the threadsextending from the reserve bobbins.

As air issues from the nozzle 5! under superatmospheric pressure it willbe directed toward a part of the group of weft threads W which isoblique with respect to the straight part 24 of the tube 2!] and willtherefore effect a suflicient separation of the threads so that thethread of a transferred bobbin, when out at the selvage, will beimmediately drawn into the orifice 2! and be directed downwardly alongthe tube and into the bell 3!. In order to prevent holding of anindividual thread, such as that of a transferred bobbin, the group ofweft ends which are still connected to the reserve bobbins, said threadsextend across the air stream a second time between the bends 25 and 26.The thread which is separated from the group is therefore directed intothe bell to become a part of the mass of threads which hold the threadends W still in contact with their reserve bobbins.

When the accumulation of threads in the bell becomes sufiicient tointerfere with proper control of the weft ends the bottom plate 4! canbe swung downwardly to the dotted position shown in Fig. 1 by releasingthe catch and snap, after which the plate can be restored to its normalposition.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a simple form ofpneumatic thread holder so constructed that the moving column of air isdirected across the group of weft threads extending from the reservebobbins and located within the thread holder. effect this result byproviding the thread holder with reverse bends, although I do not wishto be limited to the exact form of the holder as shown in Fig. I. Itwill also be seen that the thread collector or bell contains a mass ofthreads to become entangled with the ends of weft extending from thereserve bobbins in the magazine to provide an anchorage which will holdthe threads even though the pneumatic system should fail As shown hereinI temporarily. It will further be seen that the bottom plate 4! isconstructed so that air can pass through it to prevent creation of backpressure, but the perforations 45 are sufficiently small to prevent thethreads from passing through them. Also, the bottom plate can be loweredto permit cleaning of the bell.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes andmodifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invena hollow member theinterior of which is formed with reverse bends, the hollow member havingan intake mouth and the weft ends extending into the mouth and acrossthe interior of the hollow member from one bend to another bend, and

means to create a blast of air within said hollow member directedtransversely of the weft ends toward a point between the bends betweenwhich the weft ends extend.

2. In a weft replenishing loom having a plurality of reserve bobbinsfrom which extend weft ends, a hollow member having an intake mouth andconstructed to have an interior formed with reverse bends beyond theintake mouth with respect to the reserve bobbins, the weft endsextending into the mouth and across a portion of the hollow interior ofthe member from one bend to an adjacent bend, and means to introduce ablast of air into the hollow member directed toward .a point betweensaid bends and laterally of the weft ends in a direction away from theintake mouth.

3. In a weft replenishing loom having a plurality of reserve bobbinsfrom which extend weft ends, a pneumatic thread holder having a hollowmember provided with an intake mouth and havmg a plurality of oppositelydirected turns, the weft ends extending through the mouth and from oneof said turns across a portion of the hollow interior to another of saidturns, and means to direct air under super-atmospheric pressures intothe hollow member in a direction away from the mouth toward a pointbetween said turns and across the thread ends extending between saidturns, the intake mouth being located be tween said turns and thereserve bobbins.

4. In a weft replenishing loomhaving a plurality of reserve bobbins fromwhich extend weft ends, a hollow member having a thread receivingopening and a hollow interior communicating therewith into which thethread ends extend, a part of the hollow interior lying beyond theintake opening with respect to the reserve bobbins being constructed tocause parts of the weft ends to extend across a portion of the hollowinterior from one side to the other side thereof when said weft ends aretaut, and means to direct air under.

super-atmospheric pressure into the hollow member transversely of saidparts of the weft ends.

5. In a weft replenishing loom having a plu rality of reserve bobbinsfrom which extend weft' ends, a pneumatic thread holder having anupwardly opening intake mouth communicating with a downwardly extendinghollow chamber of sinuous form, the weft ends extending into the intakeopening and extending from one portion to another portion of thesinuously formed interior to lie across a part of said interior, andmeans to direct a blast of air under super-atmospheric pressures awayfrom said mouth and against those portions of the thread which extendacross said hollow interior at-a point beyond the intake opening withrespect to the reserve bobbins.

6. In a weft replenishing loom having a plurality of reserve bobbinsfrom which extend weft ends, a hollow thread holder having an intakemouth to receive the weft ends at one end thereof, a hollow threadcollector at the other end of said holder, means to introduce a blast ofair at superatmospheric pressures between the ends of the holder anddirected toward the thread collector, and a perforated closure for thecollector through which air moving into the collector may escape, saidperforated closure preventing escape of weft ends from the collector.

7. In a weft replenishing loom having a plurality of reserve bobbinsfrom which extend weft ends, a hollow thread holder having an intakemouth at one end thereof adjacent to the reserve bobbins to receive theweft ends, a hollow thread collector at the other end of the holdercommunicating with the interior of the latter, means to introduce ablast of air into said holder at super-atmospheric pressures between theends of the holder and directed toward the collector, and a removableforaminous closure for the collector to retain the weft ends within thecollector and through which air entering the collector may escape.

8. In a weft replenishing loom having a plurality of reserve bobbinsfrom which extend weft ends, a pneumatic thread holder having an intakemouth at one end thereof adjacent to the reserve bobbins to receive theweft ends, a hollow thread collector the interior of which communicateswith the interior of the other end of the thread holder, the collectorcontaining a mass of threads entangled with the weft ends extending fromthe reserve bobbins, means to inject air into said holder at a pointbetween the intake mouth and the .thread collector undersuper-atmospheric pressures directed toward the collector to createsub-atmospheric pressures at the mouth to draw the weft ends into thelatter and thereafter subject said weft ends to super-atmosphericpressures to entangle said weft ends with the mass ofthreads in thethread collector, and said collector having a part so constructed as topermit the escape of air entering the collector at super-atmosphericpressures but retain the threads blown into said collector.

9. In a weftreplenishing loom having a p1u-- rality of reserve bobbinsfrom which extend weft ends, a pneumatic thread holder having an intakemouth at one end adjacent to the reserve bobbins to receive the weftends, a hollow thread collector the interior of which communicates withthe interior of the other end of the thread holder, the collectorcontaining a mass of threads entangled with the weft ends extending fromthe reserve bobbins, means to inject air into said holder at a pointbetween the intake mouth and the thread collector undersuper-atmospheric pressures directed toward the collector to createsub-atmospheric pressures at the mouth to draw the weft ends into thelatter and thereafter subject said weft ends to super-atmosphericpressure to entangle said weft ends with the mass of threads in thethread collector, a part of said collector being so constructed as topermit the escape of air entering the collector at super-atmosphericpressures but retain the threads blown into said col lector, and meansto mount said part for movement relatively to the collector to affordaccess to the interior of said collector for the removal of accumulatedthread ends.

10. In a weft replenishing loom having a plurality of reserve bobbinsfrom which extend weft ends, a pneumatic thread holder having an intakemouth and a cavity therein communicating with the mouth, opposite sidesof the cavity being so formed that taut threads extending through thecavity will engage opposite sides of and extend diagonally across saidcavity, and means to direct a blast of air under super-atmosphericpressures transversely against the threads extending diagonally acrossthe cavity and away from the in,- take mouth.

11. In a weft replenishing loom having a plurality of reserve bobbinsfrom which extend weft ends, a hollow member having an intake mouth andconstructed to have the interior thereof communicate with the mouth andformed with re verse bends beyond the intake mouth with respect theintake mouth, and a hollow thread collector having an interiorcommunicating with the hollow interior of the tube member and providedwith means to permit the escape of air while retaining weft ends.

OSCAR V. PAYNE.

